Gwinnett’s Briscoe Field

A bold intend to privatize general aviation at Gwinnett’s Briscoe Field, enabling flights by commercial airlines, has sparked hot debate. The county board of commissioners is deciding whether or not to proceed. Here, two opposing factions seem off.

FOR

JIMMY NORTON, Snellville resident, pilot, current appointee towards the Grayson and Snellville development government bodies and also the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame board, and founding person in Fly Gwinnett Forward.

> Should you open a path out of your city to a different destination, it’s much like Lewis and Clark. You’re opening a trade route, and there is a money conduit there that flows.

> Stop and consider this: Barrow County’s right there? Escape 316, have a right? The outcome can ripple out.

> What can be suggested could be less [decibels] than what’s already operating out

of here.

> Should you take a look at what’s underneath [the suggested pathways], there is not anything that might be impacted. With regional jet aircraft, they climb so rapidly, they’re from here before very long. One thing that people find ironic: In Lawrenceville you have trains coming by. If CSX stated, “We’re likely to add two more trains each day, that will result in a traffic jam, and blare their horns at 100-whatever decibels,” I do not think anybody would raise an eyebrow.

VERSUS

AGAINST

JIM REGAN, Lawrenceville resident, accountant, and founding person in Citizens for any Better Gwinnett, whose house was underneath the traffic pattern when Briscoe expansion was suggested before, 15 years back.

> They’ve not created one study, one fact, that supports that getting an airport terminal close to the town of Lawrenceville could be great for the region. Propeller Investments [among the interested companies] made the declare that this would be considered a $1.2 billion impact, also it would create 20,000 jobs. [Regan claims they based this on Hartsfield’s impact per gate occasions ten, the amount of suggested terminals for Briscoe.] You cannot make that correlation.

> The proponents have stated, “Oh, the airplanes we’re speaking about will be quieter compared to corporate jets.” Well, I’ve traveled on lots of regional jets I’ve traveled on lots of 737s and Airbus 320s, in addition to a large amount of Cessna 172s and Cessna 152s. Trust me, a jet is a lot louder than the usual Cessna 172.

> [Gwinnett is] most likely going to need to do road enhancements on 316 along with other areas. Odds are, we’re going to need to get some good houses, since the noise will probably be excessive . . . Lawrenceville has stated they’re likely to challenge this legally [if passed].

> If [the winning bidder] fails, the county is obligated to keep the whole process of the airport terminal.

Photograph by puuikibeach, of Flickr

Amanda Heckert is our senior editor.
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